Valentine Grinch or Keen Enthusiast?

February 13, 2014

Once again this soppy love-fest is upon us and tomorrow will bring about mixed feelings between all of those in my social circle. Once a Christian festival, I have no idea how this evolved into the commercial day that it is widely celebrated as these days. Not usually being one for celebrating such traditions, and since I lead more of a Pagan lifestyle which incorporates a lot of different festivals I don’t usually bat an eyelid.

Despite this, the day is a far different today to one that would have been celebrated hundreds and hundreds of years ago, so instead of being my usual grinch worthy self around this time of year, I’m using it as an excuse to have a lovely evening in, away from work with Brains. So I urge you to also reconsider your plans for this Friday and either spend it with friends and family whom you love, have a little “me-time” or spend it with that special person in your life.

I know a lot of you think that all this nonsense is just an expensive commercialised day and that you should be spending time with loved ones all year round and not limit this to one day a year, but we are all guilty of letting life take over and sometimes you need an excuse to unwind, so I’ve gathered a few ideas for you all if you are looking for some things to do.

If you’ll be alone this Valentine’s day:

Grasp the opportunity with both hands! Plaster that face-mask on, have a nice long soak in a bubble bath (if you’re that way inclined – I hate bath’s!), shave your legs, paint your nails – dig out your favourite pyjamas (you know those ones that you probably should have thrown away ten years ago?), don a fluffy gown and your comfiest slippers. Spread yourself out on the sofa, choose a film that -you- want to watch (no compromising!) or crack open that book you’ve been meaning to read. Whilst everyone else is spending hundreds of pounds on ridiculous fluffy cards, expensive dinners and dozens of roses which will probably be dead within the week, sit back, relax and smile at your wonderfully pampered yet cheap as chips evening in, dedicated to the -most- important person in your life – yourself.

If you are around friends and family:

Grab a jug of your favourite fruity drink, plonk some glasses on the table – bust out a bowl of doritos and if you are feeling creative you could make some cookies and cupcakes. More commonly known as “Gateaux in the Château” where the band and our Dakesian photographer and family get together for a night in with cake – or our “Dakesian film night” where we hang out as a band, stuff ourselves silly and watch films/music DVD’s. This is a great way to spend time with your family and friends and have a good cheap and cheerful Friday night in.

Spending time with your loved one:

This doesn’t have to be expensive – far from it! This year I’ve had a little advanced preparation and Brains and I are planning on having a cheap night in, watching a film. We bought some quick cook Indian food which usually I turn my nose up at and make myself, but it’s far cheaper than going out to a restaurant or going for takeaway, so we have starters, a main meal and the sickliest desert we could find, all for under £10. Once we’ve eaten this – on our living room floor, surrounded by pillows and blankets – we can crack out some of our stashed Christmas booze and lounge in front of the tv. Work is banned – no facebook – no twitter – just the two of us.

If you don’t have the luxury of living together or you work different shifts, how about getting up a little earlier and having breakfast in bed together? Even if this is just some toast on a big sharing plate and a cup of tea and if you are both unavailable on Friday – book a day out in your diary when you can have an evening together.

Last year Brains and I were in Amsterdam with Gem and Roode – I skipped out on buying a card, but Brains didn’t – like I said, I’m not usually one for getting down with the “Valentine” spirit, but if you do want to go down that route, a few minutes searching the web and there are hundreds of free customisable and printable cards on the interwebs for you to make your own, saving both your bank balance and adding that special little touch. For a quirkier approach, you could scatter the house with a few sticky notes of soppy and endearing comments – or rude and silly ones. Generally speaking Brains and I always leave hidden messages for each other, especially if one of us is away for the evening. When we first got together, before we lived alongside one another, Brains used to leave a crudely drawn picture of himself and leave it under the duvet ready for when I returned to bed alone. Not just for Friday’s festivities, but it will certainly brighten up someone’s day!

I hope whatever you decide to do tomorrow, you’ll enjoy it and my Valentine’s inspired post and given you some ideas. I’d love to hear your plans for this Friday and what cheap and cheerful things you are hoping to get up to!

Amie, known to almost everyone as Pants, is a fully qualified Senior Mental Health nurse. She left her full time job in the NHS to work with her partner at their Web Development company BIOSTALL. She now spends her days playing with HTML and PHP (in between playing with makeup). Pants is also the bass player and backing vocalist for Dakesis and her favourite bands include Symphony X, Behemoth and Evergrey (amongst many more), some of her favourite brands are theBalm, Benefit and The Body Shop and she lives just a few doors away from Gemma in Birmingham.